Split kelly driver



April 18, 1961 Filed Dec. 23, 1957 Fl 6. l.

L- D. SNYDER ET AL SPLIT KELLY DRIVER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 2/ INVENTOR.

ATTORNEY.

LENARD D. NYDER. ROBERT E. THRONE.

April 18, 1961 D. SNYDER ETAL 2,979,926

SPLIT KELLY DRIVER Filed Dec. 23, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. RD D. SNYDER. RT E. THRONE.

ATTORNEY.

SFLIT KELLY DRIVER Lenard D. Snyder, Dallas, and Robert E. Throne, Irving,

Tex., assignors to Joy Manufacturing Company, Pittsburgh; Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Filed Dec. 23, 1957, Ser. No. 704,526 6 Claims. (Cl. 6423.6)

This invention relates to oil well drill rigs and more particularly to a split driver for the kelly of such a drill rig.

In oil well drill rigs of known types, the dull string which carries the drill bit is usually driven by a rotary 'known drivers have heretofore either beenslid off of the kelly or at leastpartially disassembled frequently causing parts to be misplaced or lost and resulting in a timeconsuming operation increasing the overall time consumed during the drilling operation.

The present invention contemplates improvements over known types of kelly drivers in that the driver body is split and the parts hingedly connected so that the driver may be quickly placed about the kelly and attached to the rotary table and, conversely, may be readily detached from the kelly without disassembly, thereby obtaining a tremendous advantage over old designs. In the present .invention the split kelly driver has no loose pieces which might drop out and become misplaced or lost when the driver is detached from the kelly.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved driver for a drill string of a drilling rotary apparatus. Another object is to provide an improved split kelly driver especially designed for use with the rotary table of an oil well drill rig. A further object is to provide a split kelly driver having hingedly connected parts and eliminating all loose parts which might fall out and become misplaced or lost upon detachment of the driver from the kelly. Other objectsand'advantages of the invention will however, hereinafter more fully appear.

In the accompanying drawings there is shown for purposes of illustration one form which the invention may assume in-practice.

In these drawings: I j

Fig. 1 is a central vertical section taken through the rotary table of an oil well drill rig, with a preferred illustrative embodiment of the split kelly, driver associated therewith. I

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the improved split kelly driver'shown in Fig. 1. p

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the kelly driver shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a view similar toFig. 2, showing the'driver parts swung apart into wide, open position.

Fig.5 is a central vertical section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 2, showing details of construction.

'Fig. 6 is a horizontalsection taken on line of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a detail section showing one ofthe drive pinsf" Fig. 8 is a-detail viewshowing the'hinge connectio 'online 9-9 of Fig. i

Patented Apr. 18, 1961 x In this illustrative construction, as shown in the drawings, the improved split kelly driver, generally designated 1, is shown associated with a conventional rotary table, generally designated 2, of an oil well drill rig. The rotary table may assume various forms but herein generally comprises a frame or housing 3 which may be suitably supported upon the frame or base of the drill rig and includes an upright rotary drive sleeve or tubular drive member 4 journaled in spaced upper and lower bearings 5 suitably supported within the table housing. A drive shaft 6 connected to any suitable prime mover is likewise journaled within the table housing and carries a bevel pinion 7 which meshes with and drives a large bevel gear 8 keyed to the lower portion of the rotary drive sleeve 4. Thus, when the shaft 6 is driven, the kelly driver 1 may be driven through the gearing and rotary sleeve. Extending axially through the split kelly driver is a conventional kelly K which extends downwardly through the tubular drive sleeve of the table and is connected to the driver for rotation thereby as the kelly moves axially through the table, all in a well-known manner. I I

Now, referring to the improved split kelly driver, it will be noted that a pair of body parts 10, 10 are pivotally connected together at 11, and a releasable lock such as a latch device 12 serves to lock the body parts together in operative driving relation. Carried by the hinged body parts are vertical drive pins or splines 13 which are engaged with longitudinal grooves or'splineways 1 4 onthe exterior periphery of the kelly. Secured to theupper portions of the body parts arelateral handles 15 having curved handle grips 16 whereby handling of the driver is facilitated. 1 In this improved construction, the table drive sleeve '4 has an enlarged vertical bore 17 and the lower cylindric portion of the driver body is received within this bore and, projecting laterally from the body parts are drive lugs 18 fitted within lateral recesses 19 in the walls of the drive sleeve 4, so that the kelly driver may be detachably interlocked with the drive sleeve of the rotary table. Attached by screws 21 to the top of the body parts is a split cover plate 22. The inner walls of the body parts are longitudinally recessed or grooved at 23 and, loosely received within these grooves are the vertical drive pins or splines 13, and the split cover plate and split body parts respectively carry vertical pins such as spring type roll pins 24 which project loosely within "end boresor recesses 25 in the driver pins 13. Thus, when the'hingedly connected body' parts of the kelly driver are'moved'into an open position, shown in Fig. 4,' the pins 24 prevent the driver pins 13 from falling out of the driver. The retaining pins 24 and the bores 25 in the driver" pins cooperate loosely to retain the driver pins in positionwhile prevent-- axial 31 on the other body partso that when the latchelement ment with the locking element .31, the latch may bereleased to permit the body partsto be swungapart. f 9

Thehinge connection 11 between the body partsjmay assumeyarious forms 'but herein comprisesyertically spaced lugs 32 on one body part (Figs. 8 and 9) having a hinge pin: 35 extends through these registering openings aligned openings33 in registry with similar openings in cooperatingspaced lugs 34 on the other body part, and

.sembly of the driver is unnecessary.

3 to provide the pivot. Thus, an extremely rugged hinge structure is provided.

Simply by raising the split kelly driver from the rotary table to disconnect the locking lugs from the table, and by releasing the driver parts so that they may be swung open, the kelly driver may be easily and quickly detached from the kelly, and, since the loosely mounted driver 7 pins are retained in position on the body parts, disas- Conversely, the kelly driver may be readily and quickly attached to the kelly simply by moving the same into position close to or against the kelly and swinging and locking the parts together. The kelly driver may then be moved downwardly along the kelly into driving position on the rotary table, as shown in Fig. 1.

As a result of this invention, an improved kelly driver is provided which may be easily connected to or detached from the kelly without disassembly. By the provision of the hingedly connected body parts of the kelly driver, the driving elements of the driver may be readily connected with the driver portions of the kelly. The loosely mounted driver pins retained as disclosed on the body parts are maintained in position on the driver when the latter is swung into open position, thereby eliminating the possibility of misplaced or lost parts. Further, by

hingedly connecting the driver body parts together, the

time consumed in the assembly of the driver about the kelly is substantially reduced, thereby reducing the overall time consumed in the drilling operation. Other advantages of the invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the 'art.

While there is in this application specifically described one form which the invention may assume in practice, it will be understood that this form of the same is shown 1 for purposes of illustration and that the invention may including a rotating member and a kelly of non-circular 'cross section passing through a central opening in said rotating member, of a split drive bushing adapted to tit in-the opening in the rotating member for rotation with the latter, said bushing comprising cooperating hingedly connected parts which when closed together surround the kelly, means for hingedly connecting said bushing parts whereby they may be swung from open position to closed position, means for securing said bushing parts together,

kelly-driving elements carried by said bushing parts, "said parts being shaped to receive said driving elements whereby the latter may engage and drive the kelly, and means for loosely retaining said driving elements in said bushing parts'so that when said parts are swung open,

upon removal from the kelly and the rotating member, said driving elements are securely retained therein to prevent dropping out of the same when the bushing is removed from the kelly andsaid retaining means constructed and arranged to permit limited free lateral movement of said driving elements relative to said bushing parts during rotation of the kelly, said driving elements engaging the non-circular portions of the kelly whereby said bushing may rotate the kelly as the latter moves axially through the-opening in'the rotating member,-said free lateral movement of said driving elements adaptedto compensate for any misalignment of the kelly and ro-" tating member. 7

2. A combination as set forth in claim l'wherein the kelly is provided with longitudinal grooves and said kelly driving elements are in the form of cylindrical drive pins loosely retained by said retaining means within grooves in said bushing parts and received in the kelly grooves whereby said drive pins drive the kelly upon rotation of said rotating member.

3. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein the opening in the rotating member is generally circular'and said bushing parts have substantially semi-circular portions which when the parts are closed together fit into the opening in the rotating member.

4. A combination as set forth in claim 3 wherein said generally circular opening in the rotating member has longitudinal recesses in the walls thereof and said bushing parts have lateral keylike projections exteriorly on said semi-circular portions thereof for engagement within said recesses whereby the bushing is locked for rotation with the rotating member.

5. The combination with a drill rotating mechanism including a rotating member and a kelly of non-circular cross section passing through a central opening in said rotating member, of a split drive bushing adapted to fit in the opening in the rotating member for rotation with the latter, said bushing comprising cooperating hingedly connected parts which when closed together surround the kelly, means for hingedly connecting said bushing parts whereby they may be swung from open position to closed position, means for securing said bushing parts together, kelly driving elements carried by said bushing parts, said parts being shaped to receive said driving elements whereby the latter may engage and drive the kelly, and means for loosely retaining said driving elements in said bushing parts so that when said parts are swung open, upon removal from the kelly and the rotating member, said driving elements are securely retained therein to prevent dropping out of the same when the bushing is removed from the kelly and said retaining means constructed and arranged to permit limited free lateral movement of said driving elements relative to said bushing parts during rotation of the kelly, said driving elements engaging the non-circular portions of the kelly whereby said bushing may rotate the kelly as the latter moves axially through the opening in the rotating member, said free lateral movement of said driving elements adapted to compensate for any misalignment of the kelly and rotating member, the non-circular portions of the kelly being in the form of longitudinal grooves and said kelly driving elements being in the form of cylindrical drive pins loosely retained by said retaining means within grooves in said bushing parts and received in the kelly grooves whereby said drive pins drive the kelly as aforesaid upon rotation of said rotating member, said retaining means for said driving elements comprising retaining pins on said bushing parts and openings in the end portions of said driving pins and within which said retaining pins loosely project whereby said driving pins have limited lateral movement as well as free rotation relative to their retaining pins and said bushing parts.

6. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein said kelly driving elements are in the form of cylindrical keys References'Cited in the file'of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,259,852 -Greve Mar. 19, 1918 2,338,093 Caldwell Jan. 4, 1941 

